From May 5 - 9, I spent a week at YO Bendigo for work experience.I chose YO Bendigo as my place of work because I think working at council is interesting, I was interested in learning about the YO Media team and Ambedo magazine and because I wanted to know what goes on behind the scenes of my favourite events in town like Pride in Rosalind Park and the YO Easter Fest.
Day 1: Monday- hot chocolate & warm welcomes ☕✨
I could tell I was going to have a great week from day one! When I first walked in, Leon gave me an overview of what my week would look like and showed me around the building. I even got my own desk in the office. Jesse showed me some ideas on what I could do this week including writing this article, creating some conversation cards and writing something for the Ambedo Blog and magazine.
Leon and Jesse were very welcoming and very enjoyable to be around. Leon even bought me a hot chocolate from the cafe around the corner- he said it was one of the perks of doing work experience here. We had a funny conversation when we discussed our weekend. We brought up how Sunday was Star Wars Day because it was May the 4th. I said that my mum wanted to watch Star Wars but instead I watched House and Leon was very surprised someone my age was watching House because it was on tv before I was born!
After the fun of the first morning and some lunch, I joined a meeting with Jesse and Leon about the Youth Awards. I felt very included and like my opinion was appreciated. For the rest of the day, I did some designing on Canva. I created conversation cards that will be used at future YO events including Fruit Punch and BendiGLOW.
Day 2: Tuesday- meeting the team 😎✌
The morning was spent in a Community Connections team meeting where I met the rest of the team and introduce myself. I learn about what everyone does and shared about myself as well.
Over a fish and chip lunch we had very amazing conversations including about how we would survive the zombie apocalypse and what we do!
After lunch Chelsea, Lily, and I went on an adventure to Officeworks to get paper for the Ambedo magazine. I had also been brainstorming an article for the Ambedo Blog and today I finally figured out what I wanted to write and started my first draft on why we should get rid of school uniforms.
Day 3: Wednesday- magic, music & more 🧙♂️🔥
Today's morning was all about writing up my blog article and this article. I've been really enjoying this part of the work experience, I'm very passionate about writing! I also joined a meeting with the Youth team where we discussed what's coming up at YO and what the team is working on.
One of the highlight's of being in the office today was Chelsea showing us a magic trick. It was very enjoyable to watch Leon try to piece together how she did it! Today's office conversations were about concerts and music- we all talked about which artists we want to see and meet.
After having lunch with my brother, Jesse and I went on a trip to the Capital Theatre to talk to Rohan, the City's Arts Officer. It was really cool to learn about what he does in his role, and we talked about Raw Arts because the showcase is coming up in June. On the way back to YO, we checked out Djaa Djuwima, which is the City's First Nations art gallery.
For the afternoon, I spent some time with Leon talked about what I want to do when I get older, and he helped me with resume.
Day 4: Thursday - getting things done 🤸♀️🌻
I have really enjoyed my week so far and I'm so sad it's almost over! 😭
For the morning, I finished up my article on the Ambedo Blog, including creating some images to make it look nicer! You can now read my article on why schools suck on the Ambedo Blog!
After lunch with Chelsea and Lily, and some spooky conversations about ghosts and spirits, Chelsea and I met with Michellie, the City's First Nations Arts Officer. Chelsea and Michellie are planning a public art project for young First Nations people, and I got to be part of the discussions and give my opinions.
Day 5: Friday - people & places 🤩💥
I finished off the week with a chill day, meeting new people and going new places!
It started with a meeting with Chelsea and Paul from Access about the Barista workshops that YO Bendigo hold for young people. I helped with some advise about what skills are important to young people.
Then we walked down to headspace Bendigo where Haylee showed us around, introduced us to some of the people from the different teams there and talked about how YO Bendigo and headspace work together.
After a break for lunch, Chelsea and I met with Nat from Connecting Futures, which is an NDIS provider for young people and we talked about some of the different projects they are doing. We then went on a trip across the road to Galkangu, which was very enjoyable and interesting. I got to talk to some of the staff who worked there and have a tour around the building.
For the afternoon, I finished off all of my tasks including the conversations cards and this article!
Overall, it’s been a very fun week. I’ve enjoyed my time here and everyone has been very friendly and welcoming. I’m so glad I chose YO Bendigo for my work experience.
By Apollo Hodgson